False Identity
by divinething
Summary: Finished Michelle is a poor girl barely making a living in Tortuga until she meets Jack Sparrow and decides to dress up as a man and join the crew of the Black Pearl. Also read the sequel, Forgive and Forget!
1. An Interesting Proposition

[A/N: Hey! This is my first fan fic. Please R/R!]  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Jack Sparrow, Josamee Gibbs, or Tortuga.  
  
Michelle searched around her one room apartment looking for some food. Finding nothing, she said, "I'll just sneak some food at work like I always do."  
  
She tiptoed out of her apartment and silently closed the door. She didn't want the landlord to-  
  
"Michelle," said a cold voice behind her. "You haven't paid your rent yet."  
  
Michelle sighed and turned around to face her skinny landlord. "I'm sorry Mr. Noll. I don't have the money. But I'll give it to you tomorrow when I come back from work."  
  
"You told me that last week Michelle. If you don't pay me by tomorrow, I'm going to have to throw you out."  
  
"I promise Mr. Noll," Michelle replied flashing him a brilliant smile.  
  
"Hurry on to work now. You don't want to be late."  
  
"Bye Mr. Noll!" shouted Michelle as she ran down the street. After passing two blocks of drunks, she finally got to the bar she worked at, Christina's Pub "Home of Tortuga's Best Rum". She opened the door and wound her way through all the men that crowded the room and made her way to the bar.  
  
"Finally you're here Michelle!" screamed Christina, the owner, over the yelling of the men. "Fill in for Clara."  
  
Michelle walked up to a blonde woman working at the bar and tapped her on the shoulder, telling her she could go. Michelle then plastered on a fake smile and asked the man closest to her what he wanted to drink.  
  
A couple hours after she started working, a man with dreadlocks and beads in his hair sat in the empty seat in front of Michelle. "Why don't you get me some of your finest rum love," he told her. From the swaggering way he walked in, Michelle thought that he was drunk without having touched any rum, but he was a customer, so she poured him some rum. He took out a bag with a lot of coins in it and paid for the drink. Michelle started talking to him, and the more she talked, the longer he stayed and bought drinks.  
  
A couple drinks later, Michelle asked, "So, how'd u get all that money to pay for this rum?" He motioned with his finger for her to come closer and whispered, "I'm a pirate. My name is Captain Jack Sparrow." Michelle let out a gasp. Captain Jack Sparrow! The captain of the Black Pearl, the most successful pirate ship in the Caribbean! "And this brings in a lot of money, right?" she asked. "Aye," he replied. Michelle started formulating a plan in her head. "And how would someone become a crew member of your ship?"  
  
"He would have to go see Josamee Gibbs, and Gibbs would decide if the young man can join me crew."  
  
"Man? You don't allow women to be part of your crew?" Michelle asked.  
  
"No. The crew thinks they're bad luck, and I wouldn't want my crew to be mad at me, would I?"  
  
"I guess not." Michelle replied. Then she got an idea. "Captain Sparrow, I know a young boy who needs some money. He's good with a gun and ok with a sword. How would he get a hold of this Gibbs?"  
  
"That's easy. He lives right here in Tortuga. Tell this lad to go up to Gibbs and say, 'Take what you can.' Gibbs will respond with 'Give nothin' back.' Then all he has to do is tell him he wants to join the crew of the Black Pearl. But he better hurry. We're gonna sail off the day after tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you Captain Sparrow."  
  
"Anything for such a lovely lass as you," replied Jack. Right then, another woman tapped Michelle on the shoulder, telling Michelle to switch shifts. "Bye Captain, 'til we meet again." She took her pay from Christina and left for home.  
  
****************  
  
Michelle went home and went straight to bed. A couple hours later she woke up to her landlord threatening to break open the door and personally drag her out onto the street. She heaved herself out of bed, took the money she got at work, and paid him her rent. Since she was awake, she decided to start her plan now. She took the rest of her earnings and went out to town.  
  
In town, Michelle searched for a clothing store and purchased men's clothes and boots that were the closest to her size as she could find. She then bought some gunpowder and bullets and headed back to her apartment. Lastly, she bought a corset.  
  
When Michelle returned home, she put down her purchases and walked to the closet. She reached onto the top shelf and felt around until she found a thin bundle wrapped in an old blanket. She brought it down carefully and unwrapped it. It was her brother's old sword and pistol. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered her older brother. He set off on a ship to find work with the navy so he could make money for himself and his sister, but his ship sunk when a storm hit. The only possessions he left at the house were his gun and his sword. Michelle didn't think that she'd be seeing these again. A bird calling outside her window snapped her back into the present. She was on a mission and couldn't be stalled by a journey down memory lane. She picked up the sword, and before she chickened out cut off her long brown hair so that it was shoulder length. She gathered the pieces off the ground and threw them out her window into the bushes. Next, she took the corset and cut it so that it would only be the length of her chest. She put on the corset and bound her chest flat. She put on the clothing she bought in town and tied her hair back into a ponytail with a piece of string. She went up to her mirror to examine herself. It was her same hazel eyes, same brown hair, same tan skin, but there was something different about her. She didn't look like Michelle Davis anymore; she looked like a man.  
  
Michelle, adorned with her new clothes and her brother's sword and gun at her hip, went out in search of Gibbs. She asked around and finally found where he lived from a man at a pub. Michelle walked the streets towards Gibbs house. On the way there, she spotted a stretch of beach with no one on it and seagulls flying everywhere. She stepped off the road and onto the beach. Making sure no one was around, she took out her gun and shot at a seagull. Plop! The seagull fell into the water as all the other seagulls squawked and flew in every direction at the sound of the gun. Michelle smiled to herself. "I've still got it," she muttered to herself as she made her way back onto the road.  
  
After a couple of minutes, Michelle found herself in front of Gibbs' front door. She knocked and heard a glass break followed by cursing from inside. The door swung opened and a grumpy man said, "What do ye want?"  
  
Michelle didn't say hello, but said, "Take what you can."  
  
Gibbs seemed taken aback, but replied, as Captain Sparrow said with, "Give nothin' back."  
  
"I want to join the crew of the Black Pearl," Michelle told him.  
  
"Shhh!" hissed Gibbs. "Don't say that so loud! You don't know who can be listening." Gibbs looked around before inviting Michelle into his house.  
  
The house was small and messy with a wooden stool and a couple of chairs in the living room, a wooden table with broken glass next to it surrounded in a puddle of a brown liquid, and another room which was where his bedroom must be. Gibbs turned to Michelle and said, "So why do you want to be part of the crew of the Black Pearl?"  
  
"I need the money. My sister and I live alone and we barely have enough money to pay the rent for our apartment. My sister works at Christina's Pub. Captain Jack Sparrow was in there last night and told her that there may be some openings for new crew members."  
  
"What skills do you have?"  
  
"I can shoot better than most the people on this island. My swordsmanship has room for improvement but I can use a sword. I haven't been on a ship before but I learn things easily, so I'll adapt pretty easily."  
  
Gibbs pondered for a couple of seconds and extended his arm. "Welcome to the Black Pearl. I don't think you told me your name. What is it?"  
  
"Mich- um, Michael," Michelle replied thinking of the closest male name to Michelle. She extended her arm and shook his hand.  
  
"Well, Michael, we set sail tomorrow. Come down to the docks tomorrow in the morning before the sun rises. We set sail when the sun appears over the water."  
  
"Thank you Gibbs," Michelle replied before she closed the door and made her way back home.  
  
[A/N: I hope you liked it! Please R/R!] 


	2. A Pirate's Life For Me

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Pearl or any of the characters except for Michelle.  
  
Michelle woke up with a start. It was the middle of the night. "I'm late for work!" she thought and rushed around her apartment to find a dress. It was only after she couldn't find a dress she remembered she did not work at Christina's anymore and what little possessions she had were in storage. She was a pirate now, or will be in a couple of hours. She tried to go back to sleep, but the excitement of the thought that she would be on the Black Pearl soon kept her awake. She decided she would practice using a sword. She went over to her sword and practiced some sword motions. The more she practiced, the better she seemed to get and the less heavy the sword felt. Looking out the window, she saw the sky was starting to get lighter. She put the sword back in its sheath and made her way out to the docks.  
  
While she was walking to the docks, she realized that she didn't know which ship was the Black Pearl. Cursing under her breath for forgetting this important detail, she walked onto the docks. There were a lot of boats there, but one ship caught her eye. It was the biggest ship there. It must be the Black Pearl. There were men walking on board and a couple hauling barrels on board. She walked up to a man with wavy brown hair and asked, "Excuse me, but is this the Black Pearl?"  
  
He put down his barrel and turned around to face her. Now that she saw him standing up, he didn't seem at all like a pirate. But when Michelle was going to apologize to the man for mistaking him for a pirate, he said, "Yes, it is. Who are you?"  
  
This took her by surprise, because if he said it was, then obviously he was a crew member. Michelle replied, "I'm Michael. I met with Gibbs yesterday and he told me to come here."  
  
"Ah, so you're the new crew member," said the man. "I'm Will, the first mate." He offered his hand to Michelle and she shook it. "Now, take a barrel and bring it on board."  
  
Michelle took a barrel and climbed up the ramp onto the Black Pearl. Men were bustling about putting stuff away and messing with ropes. Someone pushed into her and she remembered she was still holding the barrel. She looked around and spotted Will putting his barrel down. She walked up to him and said, "Where should I put this down?"  
  
"Just put it here," he said pointing to the spot next to his barrel. Michelle put it down and asked, "What's in these barrels?"  
  
Will gave her a half smile and replied, "Rum."  
  
They finished loading all the cargo onto the ship when she spotted someone with a familiar swagger coming toward the ship. "So, Captain Jack Sparrow finally decides to come," Michelle thought to herself. She felt someone brush past her, and when she looked saw it was Gibbs. She walked over to him and said, "So, are we going to set off soon?" "Aye," he replied.  
  
Suddenly, there was a tap on her shoulder. Michelle spun around and was face to face with Jack. "Who are you," he asked. Michelle could smell rum in his breath. Before she could say something, Gibbs said, "He's Michael. He's joining the crew."  
  
Jack looked at her for a couple of seconds and then walked off, barking orders to the crew. Michelle let out a sigh of relief. Looks like she'll be staying after all. Her good feeling vanished as soon as she realized everyone was moving around but she was just standing there. She looked around and spotted Will. She walked up to him and said, "Um. Will?"  
  
"Yea," he replied.  
  
"I've never sailed on a ship before," she said slightly blushing.  
  
"Well, now's your chance to learn. Take this rope and securely tie it there," he instructed. Michelle did as she was told. After a while of his coaching, she realized it was not as hard as she thought and started working without Will telling her what to do. "You see, it's easy," he told her.  
  
Soon, they were sailing. Michelle looked out at the water and felt a surge of happiness inside her. She felt so free with the wind hitting her face and sea on all sides of her. She felt someone watching her and turned around to see Jack's eyes watching her from the wheel. She walked up to him and said, "I don't know how I have never been sailing before. It's amazing."  
  
"Yea," said Jack gazing off to the horizon with a small smile. They then heard someone screaming that breakfast was ready. Jack asked, "Wanna go down and have something to eat?"  
  
"No," Michelle replied. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"But you have to eat something," Jack replied. "You're so skinny. Too skinny for a pirate. You need to eat and get something on your bones."  
  
"No really, I'm fine. I'll stay up here and eat later." This was a lie, but Jack seemed satisfied and left her up there at the wheel as he went to go get something to eat. Michelle hardly ate anything at home because she didn't have enough money to buy enough food for two meals a day. It wasn't bad, though; she was used to it. She looked down at the deck and saw Will come out of a cabin and walk up to her. She gave up the wheel to him and asked, "So Will, what were you just doing?"  
  
"Resting," he replied. "I was on night duty last night. I was so tierd."  
  
A sickening feeling entered Michelle's stomach. "Will! I don't have a room. Where am I supposed to sleep?"  
  
Will thought about it and said, "Well, since all the cabins are taken, you'll have so share with someone."  
  
Michelle thought about the crew members and their rotten teeth and the color drained from her face. She didn't want to have to share a room with one of them! Will noticed her uneasiness and said, "Don't worry, you can bunk with me. We may have some cots lying around. I'll get you one and get it set up."  
  
"Set up?"  
  
"Yea. The bed needs to be nailed down to the floor so it doesn't move around."  
  
Michelle mentally hit herself on the head. Of course it needs to be secured to the ground. She was on a ship. "Thanks Will."  
  
"No problem."  
  
The hours slipped by, and soon it was dinner. She walked her way down to the mess hall and got her dinner: some bread and stew that had weird lumps floating around in it. She ate the bread and only picked at her stew. Not only was it gross, but she also wasn't that hungry. She walked back on deck and looked up at the stars. They looked brighter over the water than over the city. It was beautiful. She was about to tell that to Will who had just walked up behind her, but thought better of it because guys don't usually go around saying the stars are beautiful. Instead she said, "I think I'm gonna turn in. Where's the room?"  
  
Will lead her through a door that lead to a hallway. He opened the first door on the right, which opened up to a spacious room with two beds in it. It also had a chest of drawers, a mirror, a wash bin, and a small window. Michelle told him thank you and laid down on the smaller of the two beds. She lay awake listening to the sound of the waves and feeling the sway of the boat. Slowly, she sunk into a dreamless sleep.  
  
[A/N: Ok, I know it's kind of, well really boring, but it's going to get more exciting. I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as I can. Please R/R!] 


	3. Crossing Blades With a Pirate

[A/N: Hey! Happy New Year! I got three reviews! I know it's not a lot but I feel so special!  
  
Sakura Aoimory: You were the first person to review me! I'm glad you liked it!  
  
Amber: Hey! Thanks so much for beta-ing for me!  
  
ping*pong: I'm going to get to Elizabeth! Also, I know I didn't explain it, but I had to take Anamaria out of the story or else there would be no point for her to dress up as a man, which is important to the story. I'm glad you liked it.  
  
Thanks you guys! I loved getting the reviews! And now on to the story!]  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. But they are on my computer background (lol).  
  
Michelle looked to the east as the sun rose over the water, lighting up the waves in the water. It had been a week since she joined the crew and nothing eventful had happened. She let out a sigh. If she didn't fight anyone, how was she supposed to get better at fencing? Michelle glanced behind her to see if anyone was on deck. Spotting no one, she took out her sword and started practicing. She soon started adding a "Ha" whenever she lunged forward, as if she was stabbing at someone. She got so involved in her make believe she didn't hear the door open behind her. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around with her sword up. She was face to face with Jack, her sword pointed at his chest. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she said, dropping her sword onto the deck. He picked up the sword as said, "You shouldn't be practicing by yourself. How'll you get better?"  
  
"I don't have anyone to practice with."  
  
Jack suddenly got a shocked look on his face. "Just because I'm the captain doesn't mean that I'm a dog."  
  
Michelle blushed. "Would you mind practicing with me Captain?"  
  
"Well, you can't practice without a sword!" he said picking up her sword that she had dropped and handed it to her. They got into stance and started to fence. Jack was far more advanced than Michelle, but she soon got better and was blocking faster. "Now, we start moving."  
  
"What!?" Michelle responded, but Jack had already started moving. Michelle looked down and moved her feet, only to look up and see Jack's sword pointed at her head. "No looking down," Jack ordered. "If you look down, you'll never look up again. Now, let's try that again." Jack moved to the right, and Michelle tried to walk in the opposite direction but tripped on her foot and fell to the ground with her legs all tangled up. She looked up and was met again by Jack's sword. "When walking to the side, cross one foot in front of the other. It'll prevent you from falling." He offered her a hand to help her up. When their fingers touched, Michelle felt a sure like electricity was flowing from Jack's fingers into her body. She stood up feeling very confused. She had never felt like that before. "Must be all the fighting," she told herself, though she was not totally convinced. They fought again, this time with Michelle moving her feet like Jack said. Suddenly, Michelle swooped down and had her sword pointing at Jack's throat. "Good work lad," Jack said as they both sheathed their swords. Michelle noticed Jack staring at something over her shoulder and turned around to see what he was staring at. It was a large ship with a British flag billowing in the wind. She turned back to Jack and asked, "What's so great about that ship?"  
  
"Son, that-" he said pointing at the ship, "is going to be your first plunder."  
  
She turned around and stared back at the ship. Her first time stealing from a ship! She heard Jack calling the men out and telling them to become ready to board a ship. They started changing the sails so that they could catch up faster. "Raise the colors!" ordered Jack. Someone pulled on the string that raised a black flag with a skull and two swords crossed behind it. Soon, they were right behind the merchant ship. Michelle looked on board and saw mostly everyone on there had white faces. A lot of them were women. Some men had swords in their hands prepared to fight when they boarded. Jack ordered for the sails to be adjusted so they were going at the same pace as the other ship. "Prepared to board!" yelled Jack. Michelle saw the men grabbing ropes. She spotted Will and asked him, "How are we supposed to board?" He smiled and handed her a rope. She didn't get it until everyone started to swing over to the other boat. Swing! She gulped and pushed off the Black Pearl. Michelle let out a gasp. She was flying through the air over the water! After what felt like more than the two seconds it actually was, she was on board the merchant vessel and was greeted by a man with a sword in his hand. They started fighting and Michelle started feeling a surge of energy. She lunged forward and stabbed the man in the side. "The ship is ours!" roared Jack. "Take whatever ye can get your hands on!" Leaving the man on the deck, Michelle went with the other men to search for riches on the boat. She opened one room, which turned out to be a woman's room. She opened the jewelry box and found more splendid jewels than she had ever seen. She took all of it without thinking. She proceeded to the other rooms pilfering valuables and bumping into other pirates looking for their fortune.  
  
After all the men had stolen all they could carry, they returned to the Black Pearl. Once aboard, they divided the treasures evenly between the men. Because Michelle was a woman, she had a love for jewelry, and when she was able to pick her share skipped over the money, fancy scarves, and gold statues and went strait for the jewels. Once it was all divvied up, Jack went below deck, only to return with a barrel not unlike the ones Michelle had brought on board her first day. He opened up one to reveal its contents to be rum. The men took tankards and dipped them into the bucket and gulped down the brown liquid. Michelle, however, hesitated. She had been around drunken men and served them lots of times, but she had never been one of the drunken men. And sure she had rum before, but not in large amounts. Not wanting to look awkward, she took a tankard and dipped it into the rum. She took a sip and felt the warm liquid slide down her throat. It wasn't that bad, but she wasn't in a hurry to gulp the entire contents down in two seconds like the other men. She looked around and spotted Will who had already polished off two helpings and was on his third glass. She walked up to him and said, "You sure do like your rum," nodding at the rum.  
  
"Well I only have this time to drink it. When we go to Port Royal, I won't be able to drink any."  
  
"Why?" Michelle questioned. "All of the other men probably will."  
  
"Aye, but they don't have wives to go home to."  
  
"You're married?" After all the time she had spent with Will, he had never mentioned that he was married.  
  
"To the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Her name is Elizabeth." Will smiled at the thought of his love. "Her father is the governor of Port Royal. He thinks I'm a merchant, following the footsteps of my father." He chuckled. "I am following the footsteps of my father, but what my father-in-law doesn't know was that my father was a pirate."  
  
"How much longer until we get to Port Royal?"  
  
"Oh, it'll be in at least another month. Before we came to Tortuga, we were in Port Royal, and if I was gone for only a week, everyone would get suspicious." He took another swig of rum. Michelle looked down at her practically full tankard of rum. Not wanting to look different, she took a gulp of rum. Instantly, her head started spinning. She put her hand up to her head and started massaging her forehead. Fortunately Will didn't notice, he kept on talking about Elizabeth with a dazed look on his face and only stopping to take another drink of rum. After what seemed forever, the crew finally turned in. Michelle finished the last sip of her rum. While everyone had drunk at least ten glasses, she had only drunken one. Stepping over the now four empty barrels that once held rum, she made her way to her room and lay down on her bed. A couple of seconds later, Will stumbled into the room. Michelle pretended to be asleep as he made his way over to his bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  
  
She tried to follow Will's lead, but thoughts from the day started seeping into her brain. She first thought of the man she had stabbed. Had she felt anything? She thought, and concluded that she hadn't felt anything. No sympathy at all. She also thought about the jewels and how the woman must feel. What if she had stolen the woman's wedding ring or the necklace that her now diseased mother gave her? She felt the lumps where the jewels were in her pockets. Instead of thinking of them as beautiful gems, she now thought they were colorful pockets of guilt, slowly eating away her conscience. She took a diamond earring out of her pocket and threw it at the wall. She lay down in her bed fuming, when a thought occurred to her. Why was she feeling guilty now? If she didn't feel it then, did that mean that she wasn't feeling guilty? Maybe it was the thought of not feeling anything that made her feel terrible. She brooded in the silence trying to make sense of all the emotions going through her. Finally, she decided that she was a pirate now, and even if she is feeling sympathetic for the people she loots, she can't let it stop her from doing what compelled her to become a pirate in the first place: make a decent amount of money for once in her life. She got down on her hands and knees and searched around for the diamond earring she had thrown earlier. After a couple of minutes blindly searching through the dark, she located it under her bed. She put the earring back into her pocket and went to bed.  
  
[A/N: Hey. I really glad at how this chapter ended. I was thinking the ending was going to be a bore, but it turned out nicely. Review please!] 


	4. A Woman On Board

[A/N: I just can't get enough of writing this fic! This is my second chapter today. I hope you like it! R/R!]  
  
"Wake up Michael!" Will yelled, hitting her in the head with a pillow. Michelle groaned and said, "Two more minutes." It had been almost three weeks since Michelle had joined the crew. They had plundered another merchant ship, but she didn't get to fight because the ship was surrendered. During the time she was on the ship, her relationship with Will formed into a brother and sister relationship, or really older and younger brother because Will didn't know her true identity. No one knew except for her. It got troublesome because all the men would make fun of her for not taking her shirt off. She usually just ignored their taunting. Will or Jack always stood up for her, though.  
  
"Come on Michael. If you're late for work, Jack won't be happy with you, and you don't want to do more work do you." Jack. The thought of him made her heart do a back flip in her chest, though she didn't know why. He was just her captain after all. At first she thought it was coincidence and that it was the moving of the boat that caused this, but after three weeks of being on the ship, she was used to the movement and couldn't believe that excuse anymore. Whatever the cause, she wanted it to stop. But she kind of liked it at the same time. Piracy was more complicated than she thought.  
  
"I'm getting up," Michelle mumbled to Will as she got up. She turned around to make her bed when she saw something on the sheets and gasped. There were bloodstains scattered across the white cotton. She quickly counted in her head. She was supposed to have her period this week! And she forgot! She couldn't believe that she forgot. Being on this pirate ship and acting like a man was getting her out of focus. Will, hearing her gasp, turned around to look at her and said, "What's wrong?"  
  
Michelle quickly turned around so he couldn't see where she had bled through her pants and said, "It's nothing," but wasn't quick enough. Will had saw and said, "What are you talking about? You're bleeding!"  
  
"It's nothing," Michelle stammered. But, because Will had become so close to her, he wouldn't take "nothing" for an answer.  
  
"Michael, be reasonable. You're bleeding for crying out loud! At least let me look to see what's wrong."  
  
"No!" Michelle screamed, taking Will by surprise. She took a breath to calm down and said, "It's nothing."  
  
"Michael, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll be forced to tell the captain."  
  
Jack! The last thing she needed was for Jack to find out she was a girl! If he found out, he'd maroon her for sure. She knew there was no way out of it. She sighed in defeat and said, "Will I need to tell you something. You should sit down."  
  
Confused, Will sat down on his bed. Michelle didn't know what to say, so she just decided to tell him. "Will," she began, "I'm not who you think I am. I'm a woman."  
  
Whatever Will thought he was going to hear, it definitely wasn't that. The color in his face drained out and he sat there with a shocked expression on his face. "What? You're a woman? But you can't be!"  
  
"And why can't I?"  
  
"Because. because you don't have women. parts!"  
  
"If you're referring to breasts, I most certainly have them, I just bind them to my chest." She unbuttoned her shirt just enough so that he could see the corset underneath.  
  
If Will was having a hard time finding words before, it wasn't anything compared to now. He started trying to form sentences, and finally came out with, "You lied to all of us."  
  
"Will I'm so sorry!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "I had no money! I was practically starving! You saw how skinny I was when I first came. I needed the money so I wouldn't die out on the streets from lack of food, and Jack said he only let men onto the ship." The tears started to come out of her eyes and trail down her cheeks. "Please Will, I'm really sorry. Don't tell anyone."  
  
Will walked up to her and offered her a handkerchief to dry her eyes and blow her nose. He sat down next to her on her bed, making sure he didn't sit in a stain, and said, "It's alright," and hugged her. When she stopped crying, he said, "I'll tell Jack that you are sick so you can rest all day."  
  
A new wave of tears formed in her eyes. Not because she thought he was mad at her, but because he was being so kind to her after she had lied to him all this time. More than ever, she felt like he was a big brother. "Thank you Will. Please don't tell Jack."  
  
"I won't," he promised.  
  
"You don't know how much this means to me."  
  
"Just rest. I'll check on you later."  
  
He stood up and left the room. Michelle wiped her eyes again and fell asleep.  
  
******************  
  
Around noon, Michelle heard a tap at her door. After she had slept some, she felt better and had started cleaning up her bed. She figured the sheets were ruined and was taking them off so she could form them into scraps so she wouldn't stain her clothes. "Come in," she said, hiding the sheet under the bed and quickly laying down on the bed. The door opened and Will entered. "Hey," he said. "I brought you some food."  
  
"Thanks," Michelle replied, taking the bowl. She made a grossed out face. "You know I don't like the stew."  
  
Will laughed. "It's the only thing we have. We're going to be in Port Royal in two weeks. We're going to get more provisions then."  
  
"So, will I be able to meet Elizabeth then."  
  
"Yeah. I can't wait until I get to see her again."  
  
"How are we going to not get arrested when we go to Port Royal? The Black Pearl is a famous pirate ship after all."  
  
"Jack is the master of disguises. We're going to pretend to be a British merchant ship. British flag, gentlemen on board, everything."  
  
At that Michelle grunted. These pirates being gentlemen! She started picturing these pirates in English finery. The thought of it made her laugh. A silence followed, and Michelle could see Will feeling a little uneasy. She said, "Will, you don't know how much this means to me, keeping my secret and helping me."  
  
"Your welcome Michael. I mean."  
  
"Michelle. And you better get back on deck. Those pirates need someone to tell them what to do. I just hope they're not lagging off that much without me."  
  
This made Will laugh again. "It's hard, but they're getting it done."  
  
He turned around and left. Michelle poked at her stew with the spoon. She took a spoonful, closed her eyes, and ate it. If there's one thing she's learned it's that food tastes better when she did this. Once she had finished, she took the sheet out from under the bed and started tearing it into pieces. She then changed into a different pair of pants (she decided to take some clothes on their last looting since she only had the clothes on her back) and washed her other ones in the basin. Once she had done all that, she was bored and decided to walk on deck because the room was starting to get stuffy. As the air flowed into her, it brought calmness and assurance, and made the worrying and tense feelings disappear into the swirling ocean below.  
  
******************  
  
Two weeks passed and Will still hadn't given her away. The tension that had formed when she told him who she was slowly disintegrated until they were back to their sibling like relationship. The crew was working harder than ever scrubbing the boat to make it look like men from proper English society inhabited it, and not a bunch of scallywags. After vigorously scrubbing the deck off, Michelle was looking outward and saw a small, bumpy speck on the horizon. She went up to Jack who was steering the ship and asked, "What is that over there? Is it a ship?"  
  
"No," said Jack, the sound of his voice making her heart flip. "That is Port Royal," he said, pointing at the speck on the horizon. "We're going to be there in a couple of days."  
  
Michelle leaned on the edge of the boat and stared over the ocean. It would be her first time in society dressed as a man. The thought didn't give her much reassurance. Pretending to be a pirate is one thing, but a gentleman is a totally other story. She needed to think of a plan quickly before they reach their destination. She looked back at the speck and sighed. This was going to be difficult.  
  
[A/N: Well, they're going to Port Royal, but does Michelle have what it takes to pull off being a man??? Review and I'll have the next chapter out faster!] 


	5. Port Royal Welcome

[A/N: I can't believe all the reviews I've gotten. I open up my mailbox and see "Review Alert" and I get so happy! Thanks to free2flywithcows, applekrisp, ping*pong, ShadowTamer, Veena, amber, and Sakura Aoimori for the great reviews! Ok, I know you're waiting so. on to the story!]  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters.  
  
Michelle nervously thumbed the cuff of her shirt. All the crew was dressed as gentleman with their hair combed and their faces clean. The only person who wasn't dressed up was Jack, who was wearing a cloak over his regular attire. "There's no way I'm going to wear those," he said when Michelle complained to him about why she had to wear the outfit and he didn't.  
  
"You've worn a dress before but you're not going to wear some decent clothes?" Will commented.  
  
"That was a one time thing, and that was under. special circumstances," he replied with a small smile. Michelle rolled her eyes. It probably had something to do with some wrenches, rum, the navy, or all three. So, while Jack got to dress regularly, the whole crew had to suffer in the English clothes.  
  
Michelle's stomach was queasy. She was going into society, and as a man. When she voiced her concern to Will, he started giving her instructions on how to act like a "proper gentleman." This involved speaking right, manners, and even. kissing a woman on the hand! That's what worried Michelle the most. She didn't want to kiss any women. Will told her she will be fine. She swallowed back a wave of nausea. She hoped he was right.  
  
The Black Pearl, with the British flag waving in the wind, eased its way into the harbor. The crew dropped the anchor and prepared to dock. Before everyone got off, Jack said, "Everyone! Remember, we are not pirates. If you so much as mention pirates, the red coats will be on you faster than you can say parley." With those comforting words, the crew left the ship and stepped foot in Port Royal. Jack wasn't kidding about the red coats: they were everywhere! She started walking off the dock and towards shore. But, when she hit dry land, she started to walk funny, like the floor was moving beneath her. She hadn't walked on any unmoving surfaces for a long time. She started to zigzag around until she finally was getting used to it and started walking in strait lines. While walking through town, she passed many shops and people. She looked to her right and saw a bunch of girls looking at her. When they saw her look at them, they started blushing and giggling to each other. Michelle practically gagged. If only those girls knew that she was a woman. She smiled as she pictured the shocked look they'd have if they found out that that "boy" was actually a woman. She saw Will walking down a street and ran after him. "Hey Will!" she called to him. He turned around and waited for her to catch up with him. "Where are you heading to?" she asked.  
  
"I'm going home to go see Elizabeth."  
  
"You're finally going home to see the woman you can't shut up about."  
  
"I don't talk about her that much," he said defensively.  
  
Michelle snorted. "Know what I just ran into?  
  
"What?"  
  
"A group of giggling girls looking at me."  
  
Will smiled. "So, you've finally met some women. Was it as bad as you thought?"  
  
"It was so embarrassing!"  
  
This made Will laugh. "Get used to it. You'll see that a lot. Who wouldn't be attracted to you? You have such great masculine features."  
  
Michelle punched Will in the arm. "I'll leave you to your wife now." She turned around and walked back to the main road, leaving Will rubbing his arm where she hit him. He turned around and started walking to his house.  
  
*******************  
  
Michelle wandered around town, eventually finding Jack in a dirty pub she passed three times before realizing it was there. She walked in and saw Jack sitting at a table in the back drinking some rum. She walked over and sat down in front of him. "Having a fun time?" she asked.  
  
"Very much so." He called over a barmaid and asked her for two more rums: one for me and one for himself. When she left, he kept staring at her, most likely at her butt. This brought a surge of hate through Michelle. "What is with me?" she wondered to herself. She took a deep breath and calmed down as the drinks came. Jack and Michelle were talking about the ship and when they were going to leave when the woman came over and sat on Jack's lap. Just like that! And Jack didn't look upset! Before Michelle was about to explode and tell the woman off, another woman came and sat on her lap! That was too much. Michelle abruptly stood up and said, "Gotta go," making the woman fall to the ground.  
  
She left the pub, leaving the women and Jack with puzzled looks on their faces, and walked towards the dock. That woman at the pub was the last straw. She couldn't take being a man anymore. She was going to stay in her room on the ship. But, she couldn't hide there forever. They were staying in town for a while and she couldn't disappear for the whole time on the ship. There was no food on board. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the window of the shop next to her. "This is too hard," she thought. She opened her eyes and looked into the window that she was resting her head on. It was a dress shop. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. Maybe she could dress up as a woman. It would allow her to stay in town. There were so many things that could go wrong, but it was the only thing she could think of.  
  
She went into the store and bought a dress, undergarments, corset, white gloves, and shoes in her size, telling the woman it was a present for his girlfriend. She took her purchases and went back to the ship.  
  
Once on the ship, she walked up to the door to her room and gave it a hard push. The salt from the sea had messed up the hinges, and the door sometimes stuck. Once she finally got the door to open, she walked in, closed the door, and took the dress out of the bag. It had been a while since she had held a dress, and she realized how much she missed being a woman. She undressed and put on the undergarments. Next, she put on the corset. She hadn't worn a corset that went over her stomach in ages, and she found it difficult to breathe. But, she figured she'd get used to it since she had worn them before. Then, she put on the dress and shoes. Finally, she slid the gloves on to hide her calloused hands. It felt so different to be wearing a dress again. She took her hair out of its usual ponytail and brushed it.  
  
She looked into the mirror that Will usually used when he shaved. Her hair didn't look right to her, so she put it up in a bun with the string. Some brown strands streaked blonde from the sun were too short and fell down, framing her face. She looked pretty good for a woman who had spent a long time pretending to be a man on a pirate ship. The wine red silk of the dress looked great against her tan skin. Her breasts looked extremely pale though. She looked down at her bare neck and thought she needed some jewelry. She looked through the treasure she had collected from raids and picked a silver chain. Looking back into the mirror, she fastened it around her neck. It wasn't flashy, but it made the outfit look complete.  
  
Satisfied, she turned around to open the door. Only, when she tried to open it, it wouldn't budge. She changed her grip and pulled harder on the handle. The door remained where it was. She kept pulling and pulling. Because of the physical strain, it became harder and harder for her to breathe and she started to see black dots dancing in front of her from the lack of oxygen to her brain. Then she heard feet on deck. She started banging on the door. "Help!" she called. She heard feet coming towards her. She banged on the door one last time before darkness clouded her vision.  
  
[Now that you've read my story, you can review it! Thanks!] 


	6. Springing Men From Jail

[A/N: Hey! Thanks to ping*pong, Ruby Hawk, Bulletproof Dork, and ShadowTamer for reviewing!  
  
ShadowTamer- If you remember, she said there were so many things that could go wrong with her plan, but she decides to do it anyway.]  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the POTC characters.  
  
". good thing we found her, who knows what could've happened." said a far away male voice.  
  
". vile creatures, to do that to a woman." replied another man. The sound of his voice sent a shiver down Michelle's spine. She was trying to make sense of what they were saying, but it hurt her head too much.  
  
". good thing Folch told us when he did. just think a bunch of pirates right under our noses." Pirates! Michelle opened her eyes abruptly. The world was fuzzy, but after a minute her surroundings became clearer. She was in a room that she'd never seen before. The wall was made of large stones. 'Oh my god! I'm in jail!' she thought, but then felt she was on a bed. She didn't think that jail usually had beds in the cell. She tried to think about what happened before she fainted. She looked down and saw she was wearing a dress. Of course! She was in her room on the boat and was trying to get out, but the corset was making harder and harder for her to breathe. She sat up, causing her head to spin, making her fall back down onto the bed. Noticing her trying to get up, the two men she had heard earlier talking about pirates came over. One of them was wearing a red coat, while the other was in a white wig and a blue jacket. Obviously, these men were in the navy, and the second one was a high up officer.  
  
"Are you ok madam?" asked the one in the wig. This was the man who she had heard earlier that sent the shivers down her back. She didn't like this man one bit.  
  
"I'm feeling sort of dizzy," Michelle replied. "What happened? Where am I?"  
  
"You are at the fort. We found you on the pirate ship locked in a room."  
  
Oh no! They knew about the pirate ship! "How did you know it was a pirate ship?"  
  
"A bar tender in town heard a drunken man bragging about how he was pirate to a woman. He notified the authorities immediately."  
  
"Where are the pirates now?"  
  
"They are locked up now. Don't worry, I'll see to it that all of them get hanged."  
  
Hanged! She can't let them get hanged! She needed to find someone who could help her. There was only one person she could think of, and hopefully they hadn't taken him.  
  
"Do you know a Will Turner? He's a friend of mine, and I'd like to go to his house, but I don't know where it is."  
  
The man had a funny look on his face. Her heart dropped. She knew what he was going to say before he told her. "Then you will regret to know that he is a pirate." Well, there went the last person that could help her. "But," said the man, interrupting her thoughts, "I can take you to see his wife." Elizabeth! Maybe she would be able to help her.  
  
"Thank you sir."  
  
"Rennie. Take this lovely woman to the Turner residence," he ordered to the other man in the room.  
  
"Yes Commodore," he replied, motioning for Michelle to follow him out of the room. She stood up, which caused her head spin. The Commodore moved in to help her but she quickly said, "It's ok. I'm fine." The last thing she wanted was for this man to touch her. She followed the man in the red jacket out of the door and back to the city.  
  
****************  
  
"Can I help you?" asked the woman who answered the door. She had long wavy brown hair and large brown eyes that were red from crying.  
  
"My name is Michelle. Can I come in?" Elizabeth nodded and opened the door wider for Michelle to enter. Once she was inside, she turned to Elizabeth and said, "I'm a crew member on the Black Pearl. I need someone to help me break my crew members from jail."  
  
Elizabeth had a shocked look on her face. "How can you be a crew member on the ship? They only allow men."  
  
"It's a long story. But can you please help me?" Elizabeth looked like she was about to say no, so before she could say her answer, Michelle said, "Think about Will. Don't you want to save him?"  
  
That got her attention. Her face suddenly got hard and she said, "What do I have to do?"  
  
Michelle then proceeded to tell her the plan, Elizabeth nodding along. Once they got the necessary supplies from the house, they went outside to try to save those that they cared for.  
  
****************  
  
"Hey there," Michelle said to a young navy officer in the street with the most seductive voice she could make. It must've worked, because the officer started staring at her, and smiling said, "Hey."  
  
Michelle lifted her hand and with her pointer finger motioned for him to follow her. "Come with me."  
  
The officer, not believing his luck that this beautiful woman wanted him to follow her, trailed behind her obediently. Michelle led him to an alley and turned him around so his back was to the alley. She then started kissing him. Suddenly, there was a thump and the boy went unconscious and fell to the floor. Elizabeth was standing right behind him with a large rock in her hand. Michelle then started to take off his uniform and hand it to Elizabeth. Once Elizabeth had on the outfit, she tied her hair up on top of her hair and put a hat over it. They tied up the man and hid him so if he woke up he wouldn't be able to follow them. Elizabeth took his gun and they made their way up to the fort.  
  
****************  
  
A bell sounded at the fort. It was time for the guard change. Once the guard at the entrance to the jail cells left, Elizabeth soon took his spot. Michelle then opened the door and went inside. Hopefully, Elizabeth would be able to hold off anyone who tried to get in.  
  
Michelle peered through the darkness, trying to get used to her dim surroundings. She could hear a faint whistling coming from the darkness below her. There were stairs right in front of her, and she slowly made her way down them. "Shhh!" she heard someone say below. They must've heard her coming. She made it to the end of the stairs and found the crew locked up in two cells. They obviously didn't expect for the person coming to be a woman from the stunned look on their faces. She walked over to the cell Will was in and said, "How do I get you guys out?"  
  
While Will was looking confused, Jack said, "Why would a lass like you want to help a bunch of pirates?"  
  
Realization appeared on Will's face. "Michelle!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Elizabeth's upstairs making sure no one comes in, but they'll soon notice she's not a guard and redcoats will come down and they're will be no hope for any of us."  
  
Jack looked from Will to Michelle, a slow smile spreading across his lips. Will saw and said, "Jack, she's not a whore and I haven't slept with her." The smile disappeared and he looked rather disappointed. "You see that dog," Jack said, pointing at something behind Michelle. She turned around and saw a small brown dog with keys in his mouth standing in the corner. "Those keys are to the cells. You got to take them from the dog and put them in the lock, setting us free," Jack described sounding like he was explaining it to a rather slow person and using his trademark hand motions.  
  
"That shouldn't be too hard." Michelle walked over to the dog, but as soon as she got near, he bolted to the left. For a little dog he sure was fast! She walked more slowly towards him, but he ran past her in the other direction. Michelle turned around quickly and lunged forward, grabbing the dog on the tail. The dog let out a yelp and tried to get free. Seeing that he couldn't wiggle his way out, he dropped the keys and started trying to bite Michelle so she would let go. She let go of his tail and snatched the key ring off of the ground. The dog ran away down the line of cells with his tail in between his legs.  
  
Michelle turned back around and tried to unlock the first cell. The first two keys she tried didn't unlock it, but on the third one she heard a satisfying clank. They ran over to a table where their weapons had been placed and took their swords and guns from the pile. While they were doing this, she unlocked the second cell that Will and Jack were in. Will gave her a small smile before taking his effects from the pile. Jack turned around and said, "You have some good moves for a woman."  
  
"Well, I'm not your average woman," Michelle replied before running up the stairs after the pirates.  
  
Once she went through the door, she saw recoats coming in all directions to fight the oncoming pirates. Will was fighting one of the men with another person dressed in a red jacket with long wavy hair. She walked up to the pair and said, "Will, you need to get everyone to go to the ship. Come on Elizabeth." The pair made their way through the fighting crowd. Michelle picked up a sword that was resting by a dead guard and ran out of the fort. They weaved their way through the streets of Port Royal to the Black Pearl. Two guards were standing by the ship. Michelle stabbed one through the stomach before he could reach his weapon while Elizabeth shot the other with her gun.  
  
While Michelle prepared the sails, Elizabeth stood watch for other redcoats. "They're coming!" screamed Elizabeth. Michelle looked over and saw the pirates making their way through the crowd, Jack in the lead. Not far behind them was a mass of red heading in the same direction. The pirates soon made it to the docks and sprinted to the Black Pearl. Once most the pirates were on, Jack ordered for the anchor to be lifted. Right when the last pirate scurried on, the ship started moving forward. The redcoats had finally made it to the docks and started shooting at the ship. But it was too late - the Black Pearl was out of range of the guns. The Commodore looked at the ship with defeat and hatred on his features. That was the fourth time Jack Sparrow had escaped from his clutches.  
  
[A/N: I'm so excited! This story is going way off the original path I had thought it would, but it's turning out really good and I'm coming up with more ideas for another battle scene. R/R!] 


	7. Can't Fight The Moonlight

[A/N: Hey! Sorry it took so long for me to get this out but I started school this week, and I have had no time to write. It's a conspiracy! I'll try to get my other chapters out faster, but if I don't, I'm sorry. Blame my teachers. Tomorrow I'm getting my braces off! I am so excited! I've had them on for over two years! Hooray for me!  
  
Thanks to all that reviewed! You all made my day!  
  
Lauren04 - I feel so special! Thanks for putting me on your favorite author list!  
  
Agey - I'm glad you like my story.  
  
Laraeliae Black - Did you get your name from Harry Potter? Because Sirius Black is my favorite character and I was wondering if that's where u got your name. I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I'll try to update faster!  
  
Ruby Hawk - Elizabeth is going with them. (I'm sorry I didn't make that clear, but it thought it did in my head. But I think that's just because that's how I saw it in my head.)  
  
ping*pong - Hey! Yes, Elizabeth is on the Black Pearl as well. I'll try to make things clearer later on so there isn't any confusion.  
  
Well, that took up half of the word document page! Now onto the story!]  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean.  
  
Michelle watched as Port Royal became smaller and smaller until it wasn't much bigger than her pinky nail. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was Will and Elizabeth. "You both were great out there," Will said.  
  
"Anything for my crew," replied Michelle. Over Will's shoulder she could see Jack making his way towards them. "'Ello luv," he said. "Thank ye for getting me and me crew out of jail." He ended this in a huge over exaggerated bow. Michelle almost bruised a rib trying not to laugh but she did offer a smile. "You're quite welcome Captain."  
  
"Call me Jack luv," he said.  
  
"Ok Capt- I mean Jack."  
  
"Now, there's something that has me a bit confused. Why did a lass like you want to save a bunch of scallywags?"  
  
The question she had been dreading. She knew it was going to come up, but she wasn't keen on telling Jack that she had been on his ship for the past couple of weeks posing as a man. Not to mention that she had lied to everyone on the crew except Will. While this was going through her head, she heard Elizabeth say next to her, "Because she's part of the crew," she told him like he had just asked her what color the sky was. Michelle groaned. Elizabeth didn't know that she had been masquerading as a man this whole time.  
  
"Have you been drinkin luv? Because this woman is definitely not a member of me crew. What is she talking about Will?"  
  
Will let out a sigh. "She's telling the truth. This is Michelle. Or should I say Michael. She's been on this ship since we were in Tortuga dressed as a man."  
  
Jack had a slight frown and was thinking. Michelle could imagine what was going through his head. Probably around the lines of 'Should I maroon her or make her walk the plank and feed her to the sharks?' Not very comforting. Finally he said, "He did seem rather in touch with his 'feminine' side."  
  
This was not what Michelle expected. "So you're not going to feed me to the sharks?"  
  
"Why would I feed ye to the sharks? You saved me life! That's cause for a party!" He turned around to the crew and yelled, "We're going to have a party! Bring out the rum!" using a flurry of hand motions. This was followed with a lot of 'Aye's from the crew.  
  
****************  
  
Soon card tables were set up all over deck and rum was being handed out to the crew. Michelle was playing poque with Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs, and Jack. Since it was Elizabeth's first time playing, she was losing miserably. She finally gave up and watched the others play. Michelle was doing pretty well, especially later in the night once the other players had had some rum and weren't as focused. Michelle was playing when she felt someone's hand on her leg, causing goose bumps to chase each other up her leg. She quickly looked down and saw it was Jack's. She figured it was a mistake because he was drunk, and continued playing when she felt him squeeze her leg. This freaked her out. Why was Jack acting like this? Fortunately, Elizabeth decided she was going to turn in, and Michelle seized the moment and said she will too.  
  
She got up quickly and went to her room. She wasn't in Will's room anymore because he and his wife were staying there, so Jack had made a crew member give up his room and share with someone else. She lay down on her bed and thoughts about the day's events came swarming into her head. She was most likely on the Navy's wanted list for breaking a bunch of pirates out of jail. This didn't make her worried because she was with Jack and he's the most wanted man in the Caribbean and hasn't been hung yet. The thought of Jack made her remember about the whole leg fiasco. Why did Jack put his hand on her leg? She couldn't think of a reason except for he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing, which didn't make her feel great. She lay there in the dark but couldn't go to sleep, so she went on deck.  
  
Michelle loved to go on deck at night when the stars were shining and the moon reflected off the water, making silver strands of color. She walked over to the side of the ship and gazed at the water, smelling the saltiness of the sea. Being on a ship was amazing. She was enjoying the peacefulness of it all when she heard someone say, "Couldn't sleep?" behind her. She turned around and saw Jack at the wheel. She walked over to him and said, "No."  
  
"Who can blame ye? It's been an eventful day."  
  
"Yeah. And besides, who can resist this view," she said, moving her arm in a semicircle towards the horizon. "It's so beautiful."  
  
"It is." And without any warning, he leaned down and lightly brushed her lips with his. Her heart started beating fast and a warmth spread over her. She looked up into his eyes and did something that surprised both of them; she wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him back. After a couple of seconds she pulled back and said, "Good night Jack," and walked back down to her room.  
  
[A/N: Ok, I know this one's short and doesn't have a lot of action (unless you count the kissing, which I don't) but my next chapter will have some action so sit tight and I'll try to get the next chapter up as fast as I can! R/R!] 


	8. Tortuga

[A/N: Hey again! Thanks to Laraeliae Black, Ruby Hawk, and Stina for reviewing. They always make me feel so special. I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't my best one, but this chapter's much better. Enjoy!]  
  
Disclaimer: I do not on Pirates of the Caribbean.  
  
Michelle woke up from the sun's light flooding into her room. She hadn't slept in this late for weeks. It was great to not be woken up every morning by Will. She went over to the small dresser in her room and pulled out a shirt and a pair of britches. Just because every one knew she was a woman didn't mean she was going to wear a dress all the time. She slipped on her boots and walked out onto deck.  
  
The first person she noticed was Jack ordering the crew around. Michelle smiled. She didn't forget the kiss that they had shared last night. She walked up to him and said, "Hey Jack."  
  
"Good, you're up," he said, not looking up from the men working on deck. "We need some more hands. The wind's picking up."  
  
Michelle frowned. The least he could say was hi to her. He did like her, didn't he? As she started to climb up the rigging, she got a sickening feeling in her stomach, and it wasn't from being off of the deck. She had done it a hundred times. It was because a thought occurred to her. What if Jack didn't want to kiss her? He was drunk from drinking while they were playing cards. A drunken person does things they wouldn't do sober. Was kissing her one of those instances? She heard screaming below her. She looked down and saw Will waving his arms and screaming, "Michelle! Are you going to stay there forever or are you going to do something." During her thinking she had stopped. Blushing, she continued her way up.  
  
When she got back down, she walked back to the stern of the ship and stood there with her hair blowing in her face. A solitary tear fell down her cheek. She shivered. The happiness she had felt when Jack kissed her started to erode away. It seemed that her life had always been full of sorrow. Why can't something good happen to her for a change? All of the sudden she felt a hand wrap around her waist. She looked up and saw Jack. "Are ye ok luv?" he asked.  
  
"I'm fine." She wiped her cheek so Jack wouldn't see that she had been crying. "Just a little cold."  
  
"Here," he said as he slipped of his jacket and put it around her shoulders.  
  
"Thanks," she replied, smiling. He returned the smile, but turned around when he heard Will calling his name. "Duty calls luv," he said, planting a kiss on her cheek before walking over to see what Will wanted. Her happiness returned to her. If that wasn't proof that Jack cared for her, she didn't know what was.  
  
****************  
  
Michelle couldn't help smiling. Tortuga was just the same as it was when she left. She walked around the familiar streets looking at the many drunks in the street who stared back at her with bloodshot eyes. Shaking her head, she thought, 'Some things never change.' She made her way over to where she used to work: Christina's Pub. When she walked in, the sound of laughing and the sloshing of rum in tankards met her ears. She walked over to the bar and saw Christina serving some men. "Excuse me miss," she said. "This pub is filthy. I must speak to the owner." Christina looked up and smiled.  
  
"Michelle!" she exclaimed, giving her a hug. "You're as brown as rum! You've been spending a lot of time in the sun, I see."  
  
Michelle laughed. "That's what being on a ship does to you."  
  
They started talking and Christina told her how business was going. A man called, "Hey Christina! Where's me rum?"  
  
Christina looked down at the tankard in her hand. "Oh my! Sorry sir!" she yelled at the man. To Michelle she said, "I'll talk to you later. Duty calls."  
  
"I'll help you out." Michelle picked up another tankard that was resting on the bar and delivered it to the table where the man was. She went back and stood behind the bar. It seemed so long ago a man swaggered through the door and told her about being a pirate.  
  
"Excuse me luv," said a man behind her. "Can I have five rums?"  
  
"Right away sir." She poured the drinks and turned around to give them to the man. "Here-" she started but sopped when she saw the man she was giving the drinks to. Jack smiled and said, "Would ye like to join us luv?"  
  
"I would love to Jack." They carried the tankards over to the table where Will, Elizabeth, and Gibbs were already sitting. They placed a drink in front of each person, and Michelle and Jack sat in two empty seats at the table. "Jack, I told you not to get me any rum!" Elizabeth said. "I'm not going to drink it."  
  
"That's ok. I bet someone else at the table would like it," he replied with a wink.  
  
She sighed and scooted the drink across the table towards him. Jack had a face of mock surprise. "Why thank you Elizabeth. I feel so honored to have your rum." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.  
  
After an hour of drinking and talking, all the men at the table were drunk from the rum. Jack scooted his chair so he was right next to Michelle. He started kissing her up her neck and wrapped his arm around her while he rested his other hand on her leg. She was enjoying it when she felt his hand rise up her leg and onto her stomach, making her feel uncomfortable. But he didn't stop there. His hand continued up until it was resting on her breasts.  
  
Michelle jumped up, causing everyone at the table to look shocked, but no one more than Jack. Michelle was furious. "I should've known that was all you were after," she spat at Jack. "Well Captain," she pronounced this with venom, using all the anger boiling up in her, "I'm not going to be your whore." She stormed off with the whole bar staring at her.  
  
She walked out and leaned against the brick wall of the pub. She couldn't believe that she thought he might have feelings for her. It was Jack. He was always with a new whore and had never been in love with anyone as far as she knew. She should have known he only wanted to sleep with her. All of the sudden she felt a hand over her mouth. "MMM!" she screamed. Her attacker led her into an alley where he gagged her and tied her hands together. She tried to struggle free but he was stronger than her and soon had her tied.  
  
****************  
  
Jack sat stunned as he watched Michelle storm out of the pub. No woman had ever acted like that to Jack. But then again all the women he was with were whores. "Jack, are you going to go get her?" Elizabeth asked with an annoyed tone in her voice.  
  
"Right," said Jack. He got up and walked out the door. He looked left and right, hoping she hadn't run too far away, but he didn't see her. "Michelle!" he called.  
  
****************  
  
"Michelle!" At the sound of her voice being called, Michelle turned her head and saw Jack looking down the street. "Michelle!" he called again.  
  
"MMM!" Michelle screamed louder than before and tried to get out of the man's grip. She succeeded and started running towards Jack when she felt the man put his hands around her middle and hoisted her up on his shoulder.  
  
"We don't want you running away now," he sneered and waked out of the alley and down the street with her on his shoulder.  
  
Michelle started kicking her legs and hitting him in the back with her tied up hands, but he was a big man. To him her blows could have been rain droplets. But that didn't stop her fighting back. She kicked and her shoe came flying off over her head and headed back the way they came.  
  
****************  
  
"Michelle!" Jack screamed. Where could that girl be? Unless she sprinted to wherever she went, he should have seen her by now. "Mich- OOF." Someone had just hit him in the head, cutting him off. "Who 'it me?" he said, turning around and giving suspicious glares to all the drunks on the street. He looked down and saw a red shoe on the ground. "Who threw a shoe at me?" He looked ahead in the direction the shoe had been thrown and saw the strangest sight: a man was holding a kicking woman over his shoulder. A shoe flung into the air and broke a glass window nearby. That must be where the shoe came from. He turned around and was about to walk away when he looked at the shoe in his hand. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then he remembered that Michelle was wearing a red dress not unlike the color of the shoe. He turned around and started to go in the same direction the man with the woman did.  
  
Jack soon spotted them. He was a huge man and had a woman on his shoulder kicking her legs. Even in Tortuga that wasn't common, so they were easy to find. "Not going for stealth," he muttered to himself. He saw the woman's face for a fleeting second and recognized her instantly as Michelle. He didn't know how to get her away. This man was twice as big as him at least. He didn't want to get in a fistfight with that guy any time soon. He looked ahead. The docks were not far ahead of them. He saw a large ship anchored a ways off. Looking at the flag, he let out a groan. "Damn," he muttered to himself.  
  
****************  
  
Michelle continued kicking, even though she doubted that she could get free. She stopped for a second when she smelt the strong aroma of salt. Listening, she could hear the sea behind her. She was reminded of her thought that Jack was going to feed her to the sharks. Maybe she was going to meet that fate. She looked down and saw the man was standing on the wood of the dock. Then she felt him put his hands around her waist and set her down. She tried to run away, but he stopped her. "Ye don't give up." He turned around and started talking to another man that Michelle hadn't seen. She couldn't see his face or what he was wearing except for the wig on his head.  
  
"Here she is. Where's the money?"  
  
The other man gave the large man a purse that jingled with the sound of coins rubbing together. The man opened it and glanced in. He seemed satisfied and nodded. The large man put her in a boat where another man sat with oars. The man in the wig got in after her and put his arms around her so she couldn't jump out. They started to make their way towards a ship that was waiting for them a little way away.  
  
****************  
  
Jack saw the whole exchange between the two men. The man who took her was walking down an alley. Jack decided to follow him. When he was right behind him said, "Excuse me sir." The man turned around and was greeted by Jack's gun pointed to his head. "Tell me what ye know about that woman and where they're taking her or else your brains will be splattered over that wall right there," Jack said, pointing toward the wall right behind the man.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.  
  
Jack cocked his gun. "I think ye do know."  
  
If the man had any doubts that Jack was going to shoot him, they all went away at that instant. He proceeded to tell Jack everything he knew about Michelle and the people who wanted her.  
  
****************  
  
Michelle and her captors made their way towards the ship. She tried to look up at the flag to see whom the ship belonged to, but couldn't see it from her position in the water. The boat was hauled up and her bare feet stepped on ship's dock. She looked down. The ship was obviously new by the condition of the boards. Someone's shoes appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw a man with a blue coat on and a white curly wig. He seemed familiar but she couldn't remember where she had met him. "Welcome aboard the Expeditious, miss," he said, causing shivers to run up her spine. Realization struck her then. He was the Commodore from Port Royal. She looked around her. Now she could see that the men around her had red coats on. She looked between the sails and saw the British flag billowing in the wind. 'So much for not being caught," she thought solemnly to herself.  
  
[A/N: Wow! This is my longest chapter so far! I told you this one would have some action. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. R/R!] 


	9. Negotiations With Pirates

Disclaimer: I own Pirates of the Caribbean on DVD, but I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean characters and places.  
  
Jack ran back into the pub and found Gibbs, Will, and Elizabeth sitting at the same table looking worried. When Elizabeth saw Jack, she walked over to him and said, "Where's Michelle?"  
  
"She's been taken by the navy," he replied.  
  
Elizabeth sat back down. "Taken? Why was she taken?"  
  
Jack sat down in an empty seat next to Gibbs. "All I know is that a man was hired to kidnap her and take her to an English navy ship."  
  
"Do you know who hired him?" Will asked.  
  
"Norrington."  
  
The whole table fell quiet. It was Gibbs who spoke next. "What are ye plannin on doin Jack?"  
  
"Well, obviously we have to go save her," Will responded.  
  
"But it could be a trap! We could all be dead by morning." Gibbs replied.  
  
"If it wasn't for her we'd already be dead!" Will yelled, causing everyone who wasn't knocked out from all the rum to look at him. All three of them looked over at Jack who was thinking. After what seemed like forever, he said, "Get the crew. We have a ship to catch."  
  
****************  
  
Soon Gibbs, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth were searching through all the streets and bars for the pirates. After an hour, all of the crew was located, much to their disappointment. But they all stopped their grumbling when Jack threatened to maroon the next person who complained about leaving.  
  
Elizabeth was about to board the ship when Will stopped her. "I don't want you going. You could get hurt."  
  
"But I want to go Will! If it weren't for Michelle you would be dead. I'm in as much debt to her as you are."  
  
"I think Michelle would understand and agree with me if she was here. You better stay in Tortuga." He gave her a hug and walked onto the ship.  
  
Elizabeth made her way through the remaining pirates waiting to board and went to the other end of the dock, stomping her feet as she went. Her storming off was interrupted when she tripped on something. She looked over and saw it was a man. "I'm so sorry," she said, but he didn't respond. She looked and saw that he was out cold. Looking at the man, she got an idea. She took the man's jacket, boots, and hat and put them on. Walking back towards the Black Pearl, she thought, 'I've been spending too much time around Michelle."  
  
****************  
  
Michelle looked up from her plate and at the opposite side of the table where Norrington was eating. He was being really nice to her, considering the fact that he had kidnapped her. He sensed her eyes on him and looked up. "Do you need something Miss Michelle?" he inquired.  
  
Michelle paused for a minute before she asked, "Why did you kidnap me? If I was that wanted by the navy, couldn't you have just shot me and gotten it over with?"  
  
Norrington put down his knife and fork and massaged his temples before beginning. "Let me tell you a story. The day I was appointed Commodore, a man came into town. When I saw him, I found out he was a pirate and was prepared to take him up to the fort when he escaped. I found him later knocked unconscious and took him in. The next day he was broken out of jail by a blacksmith. They commandeered one of the navy's ships and sailed away to save a woman. The blacksmith was pardoned when he returned, but the pirate was to be hanged. But he ended up escaping again. I let him go, which made some ill feelings for me with some of the men. So when I caught him again, I thought I would finally regain my respect. However, he escaped once more, this time with the aid of a woman."  
  
"Jack," Michelle whispered.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Sparrow. Every time I think I have him he finds a way to get away. After this last escape, I've feared that I may be demoted or even let go for my inability to catch him. So to gain the respect from those I work with and to secure my job, I've been thinking of a way to catch that pirate. And then it hit me- What if I was to take something important to him? What if he came in search of it, blind to everything around him? What if he sailed to Port Royal and the officers at the fort were waiting to shoot his ship down? How would he escape that?"  
  
Michelle could barely speak. "You- you mean, kill him?"  
  
"He's a pirate. Think of all the terrible deeds he has committed. I'm just doing my job and helping everyone by ridding the seas of another pirate."  
  
The door behind the Commodore swung open and a man stood there. "Commodore! A pirate ship is following us!"  
  
Norrington got up and walked out the door, Michelle following behind him. She walked to the stern and looked back. It was the Black Pearl. Jack had come to get her! Maybe she was wrong about what his intentions were in Tortuga. At least, she hoped she was. She turned around and saw Norrington yelling to everyone. "Load the guns!" he yelled. To himself, he said, "I'll get you this time Mr. Sparrow."  
  
****************  
  
"Hurry up men!" yelled Will, getting the ship to move faster so they could catch up. "You," he called to one man. "Why are you just standing there? Get to work!" The man pulled off his hat, revealing long brown hair. He, or really she, took off her jacket. "Elizabeth! What are you doing here? I told you to stay," Will said, concern in his voice.  
  
"I know, but I had to come. I'll stay out of trouble."  
  
Will doubted that, but didn't tell her that. He went back to ordering the crew. He walked up to Jack and said, "Shall I get them to load the guns?"  
  
"Yes, but tell them not to fire unless I say to."  
  
Will walked back and instructed the crew to do what Jack wanted. The Black Pear got closer and closer to the Expeditious. Jack looked through his telescope and saw Michelle on board looking at his ship. He moved his head and saw Norrington looking right at him. Jack waved to the Commodore.  
  
****************  
  
Norrington looked as Jack waved at him. He shook his head. He looked on the Black Pearl's deck, and what he saw made him turn paler than his usual pasty complexion. Elizabeth was on board! He couldn't sink the ship now. Governor Swann would take his job away for sure if Elizabeth died. "No one fire until I give the order!" he yelled to the crew. The men looked up at him confused, but obeyed. "Miss Michelle," he said turning to Michelle. "I think you should stay in my cabin until the fight is over."  
  
"I don't want to," she replied.  
  
"I order you to stay in there until I come and get you. And because I'm now in charge of you, you have to obey me."  
  
Michelle knew she had to, but that didn't stop her from staring daggers at him before she slammed the door to the room behind her. Norrington fingered the hilt of his sword. He'll have to fight the pirate.  
  
****************  
  
"Prepare to board!" Jack ordered. They had pulled up next to the Expeditious without one cannon fired at them. He looked down at Elizabeth. 'For once her stubbornness has come in handy' he thought. He grabbed a rope and swung over to the Expeditious. The first time he bumped into a redcoat, making him fall onto another officer, but the second time he landed on deck. He fought with one man for two seconds before he pushed the man overboard. Jack turned around and was face to face with Norrington.  
  
"'Ello Commodore. Still single?"  
  
He answered by lunging forward. Jack parried and said, "Obviously that's a no." They continued fighting, traveling all over the deck in the process. Jack seemed to be reading the Commodore's thoughts. Every time Norrington would attack, Jack would parry like he knew in advance where the sword was going to end up. Jack was mostly doing defensive moves, trying to save his energy. He could see Norrington was not attacking with the same amount of strength as he had in the beginning. Jack decided now was the time to go in for the big blow. He feigned right. Norrington wasn't quick enough and soon found Jack's sword pointed at his throat. Norrington dropped his sword. "Now, if you'd be so kind, can you tell your crew to drop their weapons as well?"  
  
"Lower your weapons!" the Commodore yelled. His crew looked at him confused, but when they saw Jack with his sword pointed at Norrington's throat, they dropped their swords onto the deck.  
  
"Now Commodore, do ye have a cabin where we can negotiate?"  
  
He nodded, making sure his chin didn't hit the sword and said, "Come this way Mr. Sparrow."  
  
"That's CAPTAIN Sparrow to you," he said, following Norrington into a room. He signaled for Will to follow.  
  
****************  
  
Michelle could hear the fighting from outside. She wished she could be out there fighting with Jack. Instead, she was sitting on a chair listening to the fighting outside, wondering what was happening. Who was winning? She hoped that none of the Black Pearl crew were seriously hurt, especially Jack. Outside, she heard Norrington yell, "Lower your weapons!" Her heart did a flip. That must mean that Jack had won! The door handle turned and she saw Norrington, followed by Jack who had his sword pointed at the Commodore's back. At the rear was Will. "Jack!" Michelle squealed. She stood up, which made the chair tip over, and ran over to him. He handed Will his sword and gave Michelle a hug. "You came for me."  
  
"Of course luv," he said. "Now, on to the negotiations!"  
  
Norrington lead them to the table. They all sat around it, Norrington on one side, Jack, Will, and Michelle on the other. "Now Norrington," Jack started, "me terms are simple: I want you to release Michelle."  
  
Norrington nodded. "Is that it?"  
  
Jack thought about it and replied, "Don't fire at me ship."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"No, that about sums it all up. What do ye think Will?"  
  
Will sat there for a couple of seconds and said, "I want Elizabeth and I pardoned and I want you to take us back to Port Royal."  
  
Everyone stared at him. It was Jack who finally said, "Why do ye want to go to Port Royal?"  
  
Will sighed. "Jack, I love being on the sea, you know that. But it's hard for Elizabeth because I'm always gone. I want to be there for her."  
  
Norrington thought about it and said, "That one's harder for me to agree on. I'll do it if you do something for me."  
  
"What would that be?" Jack asked.  
  
"I don't want to see you in Port Royal again."  
  
Jack thought about this. He looked at Will. His eyes were pleading at Jack, saying 'Please do this for me.' Jack said, "Agreed," and stuck out his hand for Norrington to shake. After they shook hands, Jack added, "And if I hear that you didn't hold up to your part of the bargain, you'll be seeing me in Port Royal the next day." With that they left the room and went back on deck. Both of the crews were on different sides of the deck, throwing suspicious glances at the other group. When Jack came out, he ordered his crew to go back onto the Black Pearl. He then turned to Will, who now had Elizabeth at his side. From the looks of things she already knew that they were going with the Commodore. "Bye you too," he said, giving both of them a hug. Michelle did the same, but started to cry. "I'm going to miss you guys," she managed to say between sobs.  
  
"Don't worry," said Will. "If you're ever in Port Royal, come visit us."  
  
They went over to the side of the Expeditious and swung back over to the Black Pearl. Michelle looked back one more time and waved to the couple. The ships started moving and went their separate ways.  
  
[A/N: My chapters just keep getting longer and longer! There's going to be one more chapter, but I'm going to write a sequel, so look for it once this story's over. Anyway, I decided to do one author note at the end instead of one at the beginning and one at the end, so I'll address my reviewers here:  
  
Laraeliae Black - Hey! I'm glad I'm doing a good job because I don't want to write a boring story.  
  
ping*pong - I feel so happy that you love my story! *blushes*  
  
Cryptic Storm - I hope I didn't disappoint you and I hope you liked the way I did Norrington and that it wasn't too evil.  
  
Thank you to all my reviewers! Also if you're just too lazy to write a review but still read my story, thank you for reading it! R/R!] 


	10. Saying Goodbye

[A/N: Here we go! The last installment of False Identity! I hope you like it!]  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Jack Sparrow, or any of the other POTC characters for that matter.  
  
Michelle watched the back of the Expeditious until it disappeared on the horizon. Her tears had finally stopped flowing, and her eyes were red from the crying. She had grown close to Will and Elizabeth and knew this was the best thing for them, but it still hurt to see them go. They were like family to her. It was silly, but she thought that all of them would be together on the Black Pearl forever. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Jack looking down at her. She turned towards him and put her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms protectively around her and pulled her close. She buried her head into his chest and breathed in the salty smell of his clothes. No matter what, Jack seemed to always make her feel better. She looked up into his chocolate brown eyes and said, "Thank you for coming back for me."  
  
He kissed her lightly on the lips and whispered, "I'll always come back for you."  
  
He turned around to face the crew and said, "Great job back there! Such fine work deserves a celebration, aye?"  
  
This was followed by yells of agreement from the crew. Michelle shook her head. Jack used every little excuse possible to have a drinking party. He probably would have a party if she told him that she tidied her room earlier. But she didn't think the crew minded much.  
  
The crew had dropped anchor and taken out the tables and the last of the rum well before sunset. At the news that they had no more rum, Jack turned a little pale and looked longingly at the barrels. He weakly said, "Well," he swallowed before continuing, "we'll drink it all now," he said slowly. The thought of having no rum was terrible, but the idea of mutiny was worse. He knew what an unhappy crew could do to a captain.  
  
Michelle could see Jack wasn't looking good so she quickly thought of an idea. "We can get some more in Tortuga, can't we captain? We're not far from there."  
  
Jack brightened up after this statement. "Aye. If we turn around tomorrow morning, we'll be there by nightfall. Thanks luv." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
After the rum problem was solved, the festivities began. The air was filled with laughing, betting, and the smell of rum. Michelle decided to give the rum a try, and found that after the first sip, it wasn't that bad. She started playing cards with the men and listened to the stories they were telling. They were all about action, adventure, women, or rum, and sometimes all four of them at once. She laughed along with them and took a swig from her rum tankard. But she found that she had drunken it all. 'That's strange. I don't remember drinking it all. I'll have to go get some more.' She stood up and made her way towards the barrel of rum, zigzagging her way to it because she couldn't seem to walk in a straight line. She finally got there and got herself another cup full. She took a drink out of it and downed half of it there. She walked back to her table and had soon drunk the rest of her once-full tankard. She got back up and started to make her way over to the rum barrel again. Once she had gotten some more, she started walking back to her table but fell right into someone's lap, spilling her rum. She looked up into a pair of kohl-lined eyes. "Hello Captain Jack," she said, slurring the words. "Are you having a fun time?"  
  
"It's been wonderful luv," he replied, the smell of rum wafting from his mouth. Michelle took another gulp from her rum tankard and found there was no more in it. She held the tankard over her head and looked into it. "Jack, I seem to have run out of rum." She started laughing hysterically. "Run and rum! That rhymes!" They both started laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. He finished off his tankard and said, "Seems I've run out too. Let's go get some."  
  
They walked back over to the barrel, helping each other balance. They got some more and leaned on the side of the ship. "You know Jack, rum isn't as bad as I thought. I wonder why I've never had any before."  
  
"I know luv, it's the best stuff in the whole world," he said while swinging his arms into the air, causing him to spill rum on the deck and into the water. Michelle looked up and saw how close she was to Jack. "Well, one of the best," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. She felt his tongue run over her bottom lip and opened her mouth. She was met with the taste of rum in her mouth, and she liked it. She started to explore his mouth when he broke them apart and said, "Why don't we continue this in a more. private area?" he asked with a wink. Before Michelle could think, she replied, "Alright." Jack took her hand in his and led her through the crowd to his room. Once he closed the door they started to kiss again. He put his hand on the middle of her back and started to suck on her neck. She breathed in from shock, but found she liked it and started to play with the beads in his hair. She felt his hands move up her back and make their way to the front of her dress where they rested on her chest, not unlike how they did in Tortuga last night. Was it only a day? It seemed like forever to Michelle. So much had happened since then. But instead of like last time, she didn't jump away from him. He started to undo the laces on her dress and lead her towards his bed. Her dress fell to the floor in a heap. She started to take of his shirt as he dropped her onto the bed. Michelle hadn't done anything like this before, but if there was one person she'd want to do it with, it would be Captain Jack Sparrow.  
  
****************  
  
The first thing Michelle noticed when she woke up was her pounding headache. The second was that she was in Jack's bedroom. The third was that she was naked. She started to rub her forehead and tried to think of what happened last night. It was a little hazy, but she remembered drinking some rum, and then kissing Jack. Suddenly the whole night's events hit her. She had spent the night with Jack. But instead of feeling dread or anger, she felt happy for some reason. Shouldn't she feel violated or tricked? But she didn't. Instead she felt all warm inside. It was then that she realized why. She was in love with Jack. She looked over and saw that he wasn't next to her. She glanced at the table in front of bed and saw her clothes neatly folded on top of it. 'That was thoughtful of him,' she thought. She quickly got dressed and went on deck.  
  
She looked around and saw Jack at the wheel. She couldn't help but smile. She loved him. It had to be the best feeling in the world. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey," she whispered into his ear.  
  
"'Ello luv." He brought her around so that her back was against the wheel and lightly kissed her on the lips. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Mmm hmm," she replied, kissing him back.  
  
"Good, because you've slept through more than half the day."  
  
"What?" she yelled in alarm. She looked at the sun and saw it was past midday. "Why didn't you wake me?"  
  
"You just looked so peaceful," he replied with a smile on his lips.  
  
"When are we going to be in Tortuga?"  
  
"We're making great time, the wind is in our favor. You can actually start to see it," he replied pointing at a spot behind her head. "That's great," she replied not looking. "Look Jack, I need to talk to you. In private."  
  
Jack felt a little discouraged at this piece of news. Hopefully a slap wasn't in his near future. "Sure luv. Just give me a second. I'll meet you in me cabin."  
  
Michelle walked down and sat down on the bed, feeling really nervous. A couple of seconds later, Jack walked in and sat next to her, putting his arm around her waist. "So what is it ye wanted to talk about luv?"  
  
"Jack, I don't know how to say this but. let me start by saying last night was great." This caused him to smile. Michelle continued, "And it made me see that I. well. it made me see that I love you Jack," she finished. She looked up at Jack.  
  
Jack had been expecting a lot of things, but this wasn't one that was on his list. Love? No one had ever told him that they loved him. It had kind of put him in a state of shock. He saw Michelle was looking at him expectantly. He couldn't say he loved her, because that would mean there was a relationship between them, which means commitment. He was the worst at commitments. And besides, he didn't know if he loved her. Even if he did, in his state of shock he couldn't seem to work is vocal cords. Michelle's face dropped a little and she said, "Well?"  
  
"Well?" Jack finally said. "Well." he tried to think of something good that would not require the use of the L word. "Well. I enjoy yer company."  
  
That was definitely not the answer that she was looking for. "You enjoy my company," she repeated slowly. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Don't you love me too Jack?"  
  
He tried to think of something that wouldn't bring the tears out of her eyes. "Well I do love to kiss you." He regretted the words once he said them.  
  
"You love to kiss me!" she yelled with rage in her voice as the tears started to chase each other down her cheeks. "You mean all you think about me is that I'm good in bed?"  
  
"That's not what I meant -"  
  
"That's exactly what you meant! I should've known that you only thought of me as one of your whores. I should've known you weren't capable of loving anyone but yourself or your rum!" With that she ran out of his cabin and into her room, locking the door behind her. The sun had started to set, making the little bit of light in her room pink. She ran over to her bed and buried her head in her pillow, letting the tears flow freely. How could she have let her feelings get the better of her? She knew Jack was with a new woman each day, but she had thought that he had felt differently with her. But she was wrong. To him she was just another woman to screw. She felt the boat slowing down, which meant they were going to drop anchor soon. She sat up and wiped the tears and snot off her face with her already damp pillow. She heard footsteps coming down the hall and a knock at her door. Jack's voice came through the wood. "Luv, we've docked at Tortuga, if yeh want t' get off the ship."  
  
"Just go away," she replied, her teeth clenched.  
  
"Look, luv, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, it's just -"  
  
"I said go away!" she yelled, cutting him off.  
  
She heard his steps recede down the passage. The nerve of him, trying to make things better! She fumed about it for a half an hour thinking all these horrible things about him. But after the steam wore off, she felt sad. He had seemed really sorry when he was outside her room. And a lot of guys were intimidated by saying they love someone. She felt a pang of guilt inside her. "Damn you Jack," she muttered under her breath. "Why did you have to go and make me fall in love with you?" She walked out of her room and made her way towards his cabin. The ship was empty except for two men who were drinking some rum out of bottles. She made her way into Jack's cabin and sat at the end of his bed, waiting for his return. But the minutes passed, and Jack still hadn't returned. Michelle was getting very impatient. She decided she was going to go find him. She got up and made her way into Tortuga.  
  
****************  
  
"Hey Christina," Michelle said as she walked into the familiar pub.  
  
"Hey," Christina replied, giving her a hug. "I was hoping you would show up once I saw your captain come in."  
  
"Jack! He's here?" she asked, looking around the packed bar.  
  
"Yea. He's in the back."  
  
In the back. Michelle knew what that meant. The back was where all the whores took their clients. She started breathing hard and ran towards the back of the bar. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. She thought she heard Christina yell her name, but she didn't turn around to look. She reached the hall that lead to the rooms and opened the first door. No one was in there. She tried the second door. There was a man with a woman in there, but it wasn't Jack. She went out, not bothering to close the door or say sorry, and opened the door to the third room. The first thing she noticed was a hat lying on a table next to the door. It was Jack's hat. She looked over at the bed and saw the woman had her dress all the way off and Jack only had his pants on, but by the looks of it they wouldn't be on in a minute either.  
  
"Jack," she whispered. They had turned around at the noise of the door opening and were looking right at her. Jack looked a little pale, but the woman just said, "Get your own room," but Michelle hadn't stuck around to hear her. She ran through the packed bar, tears streaming out of her eyes. Christina came over to see her, but she just shoved her off. She ran all the way to the Black Pearl and ran into her room once again. She flung herself on her bed and cried her heart out. How could he do this to her? She continued to sob until her eyes had no more tears left to cry. She wiped her face and sat there staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, she heard uneven footsteps coming her way. She turned on her side and faked sleep. Her door creaked open. Michelle's nose was met with the smell of rum. It was Jack. He stood there for a couple of seconds and left when he was convinced that she was sleeping. Once she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, she sat up. She couldn't stay here anymore. It was obvious that Jack didn't love her, and she didn't want to stick around and get her heart broken over and over again. But where would she go? She couldn't go back to Tortuga. She was sick of that place; all it had ever given her was heartbreak. And it was a great possibility that she would run into Jack. She couldn't have that. What she needed was a place that Jack would never go. Suddenly, she heard Will's voice going through her head, "If you're ever in Port Royal, come visit us." Of course! Why didn't she think of it sooner? Jack was forbidden to go there, and Will and Elizabeth were living there. They would help her find a place to live and a job. Now she needed a way to get there. There was probably a boat setting off for there in the harbor. She had enough money; she could buy a ticket on. She searched under her bed and found a carpetbag. She then proceeded to put her clothes and jewelry into it. Once she was done packing everything, she went to her door and peeked out. No one was in the hall. She made her way down and made sure no one was on deck. She saw a heap on the ground, which could only be a crew member that had passed out from drinking too much. She made her way to the gangplank, which would take her on to the dock, but stopped and turned around towards Jack's cabin. She opened the door slowly and saw his sleeping form on the bed. She made her way to his bed and looked down at him. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, saying "Goodbye Captain Jack Sparrow." She heard him murmur something about "really bad eggs" before she turned around and left.  
  
On the dock, she saw a ship with some men standing by it, probably pirates. She walked over to the most sober looking one and asked, "Where are you heading?"  
  
"T' Port Grand, miss," he replied. He was no more than fourteen years old, which would explain why he wasn't too drunk.  
  
"Will you be passing Port Royal on your way there?"  
  
He thought about it and replied, "Aye." His eyes narrowed. "Why?"  
  
"I need to get to Port Royal, and I was wondering if I could get a ride from you guys. I will pay for it of course."  
  
He looked at her, and finally decided, "Alright. We set off tomorrow morn at sunrise."  
  
"Thank you," she said. She made her way off the dock and into a bar that had a window facing the docks. She sat there waiting for sunrise to come, when she would finally leave this town. There wasn't that many men around because most had either passed out or were being busied with pleasurable company, so she wasn't disturbed. When sunrise finally came, she made her way to the ship. She went up and talked with the captain, who agreed to give her a lift to Port Royal after she had paid him. They set off, and Michelle looked over at the Black Pearl. She didn't cry when she saw it go. The whole experience from yesterday seemed to turn her heart hard. She didn't feel sorry for Jack anymore; it was more like a cold hatred. She was only comforted by the fact that she would be with people who cared for her soon, and that she would be ridden of Jack for now on. She turned around and looked towards the horizon. What lay in front of her had to be better than what she had left behind.  
  
[A/N: The end! I know it was sad, but I'm going to write a sequel. And I'll post it later today, so hopefully you read this first! I don't know what it's going to be called, but I'll call it False Identity 2 until I think of a title, and for your guys' convenience (if you decide to read it, which I hope you do!) Thank you to all who have reviewed me, it always made my day better to see I had reviews in my inbox, and I hope you continue reading about Michelle!  
  
~divinething~] 


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